I quit riding at the request of my wife, who thought (and thinks) it was too dangerous and that motorcyclists are just "volunteer organ donors." Turns out she is right again.

I always wore a helmet and protective clothing. Even in South East Texas where that meant I'd sweat my ass off in leathers. This probably had to do with two factors. One was my dad. He also rode as a young man, but more importantly he was around before seatbelts were required, but used them all the time anyway. One day on a rural road an old lady misjudged my dad's approach speed and pulled out right in front of him. If it weren't for his seat belt, I probably wouldn't be typing this story today. He was bruised quite badly from the belt, but did not go through the windshield or into the dash. So we always wore seatbelts.

The second factor was playing football as a young man. You don't have to be a genious to figure out that if it is a good idea to wear a helmet when you're just running into another guy, then it is a GREAT idea to wear one on a motorized open vehicle.